“This is the worst one I have done.”
These were the chilling words of High Court Judge Robert Henney as he described the murder of slain Bellville mom, Lynette Volschenk, who was attacked in her home and her body dismembered.
The State and defence teams returned to the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday where they submitted their arguments for the sentencing of self-confessed killer, Kyle Ruiters.
The State has also called on the court to declare Ruiters a dangerous criminal after he admitted to the horrific crimes and was sent for psychiatric observation following the murder of Lynette, who was stabbed inside her Bellville flat in 2019.
At the time, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila explained that in his plea deal, Ruiters admitted that he was a drug user and had owed his dealer R30 000.
The accused admitted that he formulated a plan to rob and murder someone to settle the debt.
He initially researched various possible victims, taking notes and making videos of their movements to and from their homes, their places of work, and places they frequented. He also tracked their social media activities.
On the afternoon of the murder, Ruiters followed Lynette into her flat which was above his own, grabbed a knife from the counter and stabbed her in the neck and body.
When he realised she was dead, he dismembered her to dispose of her body.
In his arguments, defence advocate Ross McKernan told the court that it was only after the murder that Ruiters had opted to dismember her body. It is believed that he left the flat and went to a local hardware store to purchase a saw.
However, State Prosecutor Advocate Louise Friester-Sampson argued that information obtained from his iPhone showed that Ruiters had searched dark web internet sites to learn how to chop up a body before he killed Lynette.
Friester-Sampson further highlighted notes he had saved on his cellphone, including: “I am the smartest serial killer the world has ever seen”.
Addressing the court, Henney said he had presided over many murder cases but described Lynnette’s murder as the worst.
Ruiters will be sentenced on 30 November.
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